Faculty Director of the Black and Latino/a Ecosystem and Support Transition (BLEST) Hub Dr. Gabriel Velez is joined by CEO of the African American Leadership Alliance Walter Lanier, BLEST Hub Assistant Director Troy Washington, and Marquette Students Michael Vasquez and Kendall Watts to discuss the current state of black and brown students in Milwaukee. They provide updates on the work of the BLEST Hub in 2022-2023, focusing on dual enrollment and the My Brother’s Keeper Initiative. The conversation coincides with the release of the 2023 State of the Ecosystem report (linked below).   The report can be found by following this link: https://www.marquette.edu/urban-research-teaching-outreach/documents/blesthub-state-of-the-ecosystem-2023.pdf Ronald Johnson, AKA as ChocoGeek, provided music for this podcast on Soundcloud. https://soundcloud.com/chocogeek Intro music, Arkham Talent Show The outro music, One More Time Around The Loop (Irascible Funk)

The conversation identifies the data, equity gap, and support for our low-income students and students of color who continue to navigate Dual Enrollment programs in Wisconsin and beyond. Research Assistant of the Black and Latino/a Ecosystem and Support Transition (BLEST) Hub Michael Vazquez hosts Vicki Bott, Karin Smith, and Dr. Jason Taylor in a discussion of their work with Dual Enrollment. For further information regarding the BLEST Hub initiative and work related to dual enrollment, check out the following link: https://www.marquette.edu/urban-research-teaching-outreach/dual-enrollment-hub.php  Ronald Johnson, AKA as ChocoGeek, provided music for this podcast on Soundcloud. https://soundcloud.com/chocogeek Intro music, Arkham Talent Show The outro music, One More Time Around The Loop (Irascible Funk)

Faculty Director of the Black and Latino/a Ecosystem and Support Transition (BLEST) Hub Dr. Gabriel Velez is joined by Walter Lanier, Alberto J. Maldonado, Saúl López, and Max Harteen to discuss their work with black and brown students in Milwaukee. The conversation touches on challenges and opportunities in the Milwaukee area and is timed to coincide with the release of the  2022 State of the Ecosystem report. The report can be found by following this link: https://www.marquette.edu/urban-research-teaching-outreach/documents/blesthub-state-of-the-ecosystem-2022.pdf   Ronald Johnson, AKA as ChocoGeek, provided music for this podcast on Soundcloud. https://soundcloud.com/chocogeek Intro music, Arkham Talent Show The outro music, One More Time Around The Loop (Irascible Funk)

During the Spring Semester, Ibtisam Abujad (Ph.D. Candidate, English) hosted a virtual event in her class that explored how cultural activism in the form of music, poetry, filmmaking, and storytelling can produce local and global shifts that cure social ills and promote justice. This panel featured award-winning and influential filmmakers: Queen Muhammad Ali: Director, Producer, & Visual Anthropologist Hakeem Khaaliq: Directory, Producer, & Visual Anthropologist Khaula Malik: Director, Producer, & Filmaker Ibtisam and the panelists graciously agreed to let us share a recording of part of this conversation.

Center Director Dr. Robert Smith has a conversation with three graduate students who participated in a nine-day Civil Rights Pilgrimage facilitated by Marquette University's Center for Peacemaking. Participants include: A Milwaukee native, Serina Jamison is a MA candidate in the English department at Marquette University. Her background is in Education, and her interests include Black studies and literature, African American Rhetoric(s), curriculum, and pedagogy. Saúl López was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and grew up on the Southside of Milwaukee. Saúl is a current Ph.D. student at Marquette University, where he studies Educational Policy and Leadership. Saúl's current research interests include Latinx Student Experience, Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs), and Jesuit Institutions of Higher Education. You can follow him on Twitter @Saulescribe A native Kentuckian, Benjamin Linzy is a Ph.D. candidate in history at Marquette University. He serves as the Senior Graduate Researcher at CURTO and is the Program Coordinator for Humanities Without Walls. You can follow him on Twitter @Bendangerously  Ronald Johnson, AKA as ChocoGeek, provided music for this podcast. You can find him on Soundcloud. https://soundcloud.com/chocogeek  Intro music, Arkham Talent Show The outro music, One More Time Around The Loop (Irascible Funk)

Black and Latino/a students in Milwaukee face many obstacles in higher education and career success, and it is no secret that their outcomes in these areas are starkly different than their White counterparts. Still, there are also numerous organizations, initiatives, activists, and other actors working to bolster Black and Latino/a students’ success.  In this podcast, a CURTO team of faculty, graduate students, and community college partner discuss their work in this area with the Black and Latino/a Ecosystem and Support Transition (BLEST) Hub.  The conversation touches on challenges and opportunities in the Milwaukee area, as well as their emerging work and efforts to build a visual map of the ecosystem. Featuring: Dr. Gabriel Velez Walter Lanier  Verónica Mancheno  Saúl López For more information about BLEST Hub, you can visit our website at https://www.marquette.edu/urban-research-teaching-outreach/dual-enrollment-hub.php Music for this podcast was provided by Ronald Johnson, AKA as ChocoGeek on Soundcloud. https://soundcloud.com/chocogeek Intro music, Arkham Talent Show The outro music, One More Time Around The Loop (Irascible Funk)

This episode is the second in a two-part conversation about the criminal justice system in the wake of the conviction of Derek Chauvin for the murder and manslaughter of George Floyd. Dr. Darren Wheelock speaks with Marquette Professor of Law Michael O'Hear, a recognized authority on sentencing to discuss Chauvin's sentencing. They also discuss the differences in sentencing between Minnesota and Wisconsin and the possibilities of criminal justice reform.   Dr. Darren Wheelock - Associate Professor of Criminology and Law Studies, Department of Social and Cultural Sciences at Marquette University Michael O'Hear - Professor of Law Marquette University Law School. For more information about CURTO, you can visit our website at https://www.marquette.edu/urban-research-teaching-outreach/ Music for this podcast was provided by Ronald Johnson, AKA as ChocoGeek on Soundcloud. https://soundcloud.com/chocogeek Intro music, Arkham Talent Show The outro music, One More Time Around The Loop (Irascible Funk)

This episode will be the first in a two-part conversation about policing in the wake of the conviction of Derek Chauvin for the murder and manslaughter of George Floyd. First, Dr. Darren Wheelock speaks with his colleague, Dr. Meghan Stroshine, whose research focuses on policing and law enforcement. Topics include problems in police culture, the training and recruitment of officers, and the results of the status of reforms of the Milwaukee Police Department following the 2017 court settlement with the ACLU. Dr. Darren Wheelock - Associate Professor of Criminology and Law Studies, Department of Social and Cultural Sciences at Marquette University Dr. Meghan Stroshine - Associate Professor of Criminology and Law Studies & Chair of the Department of Social and Cultural Sciences at Marquette University. For more information about CURTO, you can visit our website at https://www.marquette.edu/urban-research-teaching-outreach/ Music for this podcast was provided by Ronald Johnson, AKA as ChocoGeek on Soundcloud. https://soundcloud.com/chocogeek Intro music, Arkham Talent Show The outro music, One More Time Around The Loop (Irascible Funk)

On this episode of CURTO Conversations, our Director Dr. Robert Smith, is joined by associate professor of political science at Marquette University Dr. Julia Azari, to discuss the implications of the events of January 6th, 2021, when insurrectionists attempted to overturn the 2020 presidential election by disrupting the joint session of Congress assembled to certify the electoral college.  Dr. Azari has also written about the Insurrection on the collaborative political science blog, Mischiefs of Faction. You can find her post here. 

This week, I am joined by Verónica Mancheno,  Black & Latino Transitions Research Coordinator & Saúl López, Black& Latino Transition Research Assistant about their work for CURTO. Both Verónica & Saúl are also doctoral students in the Education program at Marquette so we spend time discussing the importance of education to both themselves and the community.